Chapter 7: When True Love and Trusting Friendship Act
Squall was in a critical state for three days, wandering between life and death. Rinoa didn't leave him for a minute, watching him and holding his hand, wishing and praying he would wake up. Sometimes, Seifer came to keep her company…what he said. It was only half the truth. In fact, he was afraid for Squall. The Dr said they got him back just in time, but that he might stay like that for weeks, months…
Seifer wasn't sure of his feelings for Squall anymore. He hated him so much before he couldn't believe there was friendship between them now. It wasn't because of the Sorceress he hated Squall that much; it was like that since their childhood. So much have changed…
Seifer entered the infirmary at the beginning of the fourth day of Squall's coma. He saw Rinoa sleeping aside Squall, her face close to his. There was fear on Rinoa's sleeping face while there was absolutely nothing on Squall's. Feeling guilty, Seifer went to put his hands on Rinoa's shoulders and softly called her name, shaking her very gently.
"Hey… Rinoa…"
She moved a little and yawned while stretching. Seifer stepped backward while she sat up, stretching every part of her body. Once she stopped, she looked at Seifer and granted him a little smile.
"Hi, Seifer."
"You cried again, huh?"
She looked away and rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah…"
She looked at Squall with an emotion-less face. She already had all kinds of emotions the last three days: fear that he could die, hope he would wake up, anger he wasn't waking up and making her worry, and despair he might never wake up. She sighed before turning to Seifer.
"How do you feel today?" she asked with concern.
Seifer lifted a thumb and smiled.
When they got Squall back at Garden, Seifer has fainted and had to stay in bed a whole day, stuck with a fever.
Seifer held his hand towards Rinoa.
"Let's go have breakfast, Rinoa. The others are all waiting…"
Rinoa looked at Squall, hesitating. Seifer understood she was afraid he might wake up while she wouldn't be there.
"You have to eat something if you want to stay healthy yourself. There's nothing more for you to do here…"
She looked at Seifer with wet becoming eyes before throwing herself in his arms and crying. Seifer held her and caressed her hair.
"Why?" she cried. "Why is he doing that to me?"
She cried louder, clenching Seifer's arm.
"I feel so helpless!!" she continued.
Seifer tried to comfort her.
"While he is in that coma, only the doctor can take care of him. It'll be when he'll wake up he'll need us… and you even more."
She looked up at him with puffy eyes and tears all over her face. Seifer put his hands on that so beautiful even looking sad face.
"I know him, Rinoa," he said clearing her cheeks from the tears with his thumbs. "He's not the giving up type. When he'll be ready, he'll wake up."
She sniffed a little and swallowed her sadness up.
"Give me a smile. You're much beautiful when you're smiling."
She was about to do that when Seifer suddenly stopped her.
"On second thought, save it for Squall. Let's go eat now."
She hugged him.
"Oh, Seifer…" she murmured. "You're so kind…"
Seifer closed his eyes, hesitating, then hugged her back. What was wrong in comforting a friend? Maybe his past memories were stopping him against his will.
'Squall…' Seifer thought. 'Hope you know how she loves you…'
They left the infirmary and headed for the cafeteria.
It was like floating in space. He knew it because he already went into space. Except now he couldn't even try to move himself. He was drifting in a coma like state. It was some kind of delirium because sometimes, voices were heard. But that's all it was: voices. Nobody except him or if there was anybody, he couldn't see: it was all dark. Or maybe he was blind? Drifting alone, blind and paralyzed… What a nightmare!
'Am I dead or what?' he thought.
'Squall! Don't do that to me!'
It was Rinoa's voice.
'Don't die on me now, ok?'
This was Irvine's.
'Hope you know how she loves you…'
Seifer's.
Squall was totally helpless.
'What is this place? Why am I here?'
'Find in your will the strength to wake up, Squall.'
That nightmare's voice again. Squall was sure he knew it.
'Why are you always after me?'
'I…can't tell you…'
'What did you say? My will?'
'Remember the snowfield?'
Of course Squall remembered. The cold and deadly wind piercing his clothes like a thousand needles and slowly but surely paralyzing his body like poisonous needles.
'You have great friends. They risked their life for you. Will you thank them in endangering them?'
'No…They won't die because of me, never!'
'Say it again, feel it, believe it.'
'NEVER!!'
In the infirmary, Squall opened his eyes wide.
When the infirmary coming from duo entered the cafeteria, they looked around for their friends.
"Seifer! Rinoa! Over here!" Zell got up from his seat waving to them.
He sat back when the others joined in. Quistis had her hands together on the table as she looked at Rinoa with hopeful face.
"Something new?"
Rinoa's face answered her question.
"Darn!" Zell complained. "I'm getting rusty not training for so long!!"
He clenched his gloved fist.
"You know, Zell," Seifer proposed, "If you need training…"
Zell lifted his hand.
"It was just a figure of speech."
Selphie looked concern just like Irvine.
"It's about time he wakes up, huh? I can't stand it!"
"Me neither!" Zell added.
Seifer got up with Rinoa to get her something to eat. Before leaving the table, he frowned at the rest of them. Zell shrugged.
"What?" he asked the others.
"Didn't you see Rinoa's face? She cried all the night again," Quistis said. "Seifer finally got her out of there to make her think about something else and you all take her back in that subject."
Zell lifted both his hands.
"Hey! Not my fault!"
"I didn't name anybody."
"At least she now knows how Squall felt when she was in a coma ago," Irvine said.
"I don't think she thinks about that right now," Quistis answered.
Rinoa came back, each one carrying a tray with cereal bowl and fruit plate with a glass of fruit juice. Rinoa's plate was full but the others were not sure she would be able to eat all that.
Eating slowly and silently at first, her appetite came back and she ate everything to her friends' relief.
"Ahh…that feels good…"
"See? I told you!" Seifer said.
Facing the entrance of the cafeteria, Quistis suddenly got up, making the others jump before looking at the entrance too. They all got up in the same time when they saw Dr Kadowaki entering in a hurry. Rinoa instinctively clenched her rings as she saw Kadowaki's expression: she was looking astonished and scared.
The gang ran to her.
"Guys!" she said catching her breath.
Because she was a main character in Garden, Raijin and Fujin, replacing Seifer, didn't stop her for running.
"What's wrong?" Quistis urged her.
"A good new, and a bad… The good: Squall woke up…"
Everyone except Rinoa jumped up from joy and relief.
"The bad?" Rinoa asked in a low tone.
The others stopped jumping to listen.
"He's…he's gone!!"
Wondering how he could be so lucky that nobody stopped him, Squall staggered to the entrance, leaning on every wall, box, or anything strong enough to hold him on his way.
How come he woke up? He wasn't sure… How the hell could he stand up and even walk?! He didn't have a clue. The only thing he knew was that he had to get the hell out of that place!!
He finally made it to the entrance, thanking God he grew up there so that his not clear sight didn't stop him.
His sight was still good enough to see Galbadian soldiers aiming at him at the very edge of the courtyard.
Once he was far enough from the entrance, he spread his arms each side of him and dropped on his knees.
"Come on!" he defied. "Shoot me!! You won't get my friends! Rinoa even less!!"
He closed his eyes when he heard they were about to obey.
Just walking at the entrance looking for Squall, Rinoa and Seifer heard him shout. They looked outside and saw what was about to happen.
"No!!" Rinoa yelled running to the place.
"Squall!" Seifer called running after her.
Squall didn't hear anything; he expected the gunfire. Then it started.
'Let's get this over with…' he thought.
Until he opened his eyes from instinct to see Rinoa and Seifer shielding him from the deadly bullets with their own bodies, being shot instead of him. His eyes widened up in horror when the gunfire finally stopped, causing them to fall on the ground just in front of him.
"NO!!!!" Squall yelled.
Seeing they missed their target, the soldiers prepared for another attack.
"You darn Galbadian shit!!" Irvine arrived aiming at some.
He shot a few but a lot more fell. Behind the Galbadians, other soldiers were shooting them, commanded by a short blue-coated man, carrying a powerful gun and using it very well. Seeing he wasn't needed very much, Irvine went to Squall and the wounded friends, covered by their mixing blood. Still feeling weak and not sure of himself, Squall didn't know which of his friends to help. Seifer looked in more bad shape, his grey coat full of bullet holes from which blood was coming out jerkily.
"No…" Seifer protested lifting a blood covered gloved hand. "Rinoa…she waited so long for your awakening…"
Squall nodded and switched to his beloved, lifting her head.
"You…okay…" she said.
"You…" Squall started. "You broke your promise: never interfere with my fights…"
"And so did you… you made me scared…we're even…"
Squall smiled, willing to stop the bleeding but not knowing where to put his hands.
Irvine approached.
"Wha…" he mumbled.
Squall looked at him.
"Go get some help, hurry!"
Irvine suddenly came back from wherever he was.
"Uh…right!"
He ran back to Garden while Squall got his glance back on Rinoa.
"You'll be find," he said.
"Of course…can't leave you…now…"
She gave her boyfriend a weak smile.
"Seifer got…almost…all gun…fire…" she said. "Tried…to protect me…too…"
"Seifer!"
Holding Rinoa's hand, Squall turned to Seifer.
"Don't worry," Seifer reassured. "I'll hold…on."
He coughed and vomited blood, trying to stop it with a hand, the other apparently out of order.
"Say…" he started after stopping coughing. "Once it's over, you'll…train with…me? Not…fight…real training…like with Zell…"
Squall nodded.
"But you have to get better!"
"WE…do…you're not in…good shape either…"
Squall smiled and took Seifer's lifted hand.
"I bet…I'll be better…before you do…"
Then he started laughing, followed by both Squall and Rinoa. Seifer stopped laughing when he started coughing again, clenching Squall's hand, worrying him.
"Seifer! Hey, Seifer!"
Seifer took a deep breath and stopped coughing.
"Scared you…didn't I?"
Irvine finally came back in a hurry, followed by Dr Kadowaki and some SeeDs. They gently took Seifer and Rinoa, forcing Squall to let go their hands.
He got up, a hand held out their way.
"I'm coming along!"
After a single step, he suddenly felt dizzy and his legs gave way beneath him. Irvine caught his arm and held it around his neck.
"You should rest yourself."
Squall closed his eyes, putting his free hand on his face.
"They need me…"
"What they need now is being treated, knowing you'll be there once they'll be better."
The two SeeDs headed back to Garden. Irvine was more carrying Squall than helping him to walk.
"It's the second time you're carrying me, Irvine."
"The third."
"Huh?"
"Who do you think carried you back to the car on the snowfield?"
Squall smiled thankfully to him.
Just before they entered the Garden, Squall saw a shoulder length black haired figure wearing a short blue coat and carrying what looked like a machine gun at the edge of the courtyard. The figure was looking his way. The SeeD was feeling too weak and tired to try figure out who it might be.
Irvine took him to his dorm. Once there, Squall was already asleep so he had to put him in bed himself. His job done, he sighed shaking his head with his fists on his hips, looking at his friend.
"What would you do without me?" he asked leaving the room.
On the courtyard, somebody was smiling.
"Well…I thought it would have been harder! My leg didn't even…arrgh!!"
He clenched his leg.
"I take back my words!!"
He staggered away, holding his leg.
"I'm getting too old for that kinda thing…"
Squall was in a critical state for three days, wandering between life and death. Rinoa didn't leave him for a minute, watching him and holding his hand, wishing and praying he would wake up. Sometimes, Seifer came to keep her company…what he said. It was only half the truth. In fact, he was afraid for Squall. The Dr said they got him back just in time, but that he might stay like that for weeks, months…
Seifer wasn't sure of his feelings for Squall anymore. He hated him so much before he couldn't believe there was friendship between them now. It wasn't because of the Sorceress he hated Squall that much; it was like that since their childhood. So much have changed…
Seifer entered the infirmary at the beginning of the fourth day of Squall's coma. He saw Rinoa sleeping aside Squall, her face close to his. There was fear on Rinoa's sleeping face while there was absolutely nothing on Squall's. Feeling guilty, Seifer went to put his hands on Rinoa's shoulders and softly called her name, shaking her very gently.
"Hey… Rinoa…"
She moved a little and yawned while stretching. Seifer stepped backward while she sat up, stretching every part of her body. Once she stopped, she looked at Seifer and granted him a little smile.
"Hi, Seifer."
"You cried again, huh?"
She looked away and rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah…"
She looked at Squall with an emotion-less face. She already had all kinds of emotions the last three days: fear that he could die, hope he would wake up, anger he wasn't waking up and making her worry, and despair he might never wake up. She sighed before turning to Seifer.
"How do you feel today?" she asked with concern.
Seifer lifted a thumb and smiled.
When they got Squall back at Garden, Seifer has fainted and had to stay in bed a whole day, stuck with a fever.
Seifer held his hand towards Rinoa.
"Let's go have breakfast, Rinoa. The others are all waiting…"
Rinoa looked at Squall, hesitating. Seifer understood she was afraid he might wake up while she wouldn't be there.
"You have to eat something if you want to stay healthy yourself. There's nothing more for you to do here…"
She looked at Seifer with wet becoming eyes before throwing herself in his arms and crying. Seifer held her and caressed her hair.
"Why?" she cried. "Why is he doing that to me?"
She cried louder, clenching Seifer's arm.
"I feel so helpless!!" she continued.
Seifer tried to comfort her.
"While he is in that coma, only the doctor can take care of him. It'll be when he'll wake up he'll need us… and you even more."
She looked up at him with puffy eyes and tears all over her face. Seifer put his hands on that so beautiful even looking sad face.
"I know him, Rinoa," he said clearing her cheeks from the tears with his thumbs. "He's not the giving up type. When he'll be ready, he'll wake up."
She sniffed a little and swallowed her sadness up.
"Give me a smile. You're much beautiful when you're smiling."
She was about to do that when Seifer suddenly stopped her.
"On second thought, save it for Squall. Let's go eat now."
She hugged him.
"Oh, Seifer…" she murmured. "You're so kind…"
Seifer closed his eyes, hesitating, then hugged her back. What was wrong in comforting a friend? Maybe his past memories were stopping him against his will.
'Squall…' Seifer thought. 'Hope you know how she loves you…'
They left the infirmary and headed for the cafeteria.
It was like floating in space. He knew it because he already went into space. Except now he couldn't even try to move himself. He was drifting in a coma like state. It was some kind of delirium because sometimes, voices were heard. But that's all it was: voices. Nobody except him or if there was anybody, he couldn't see: it was all dark. Or maybe he was blind? Drifting alone, blind and paralyzed… What a nightmare!
'Am I dead or what?' he thought.
'Squall! Don't do that to me!'
It was Rinoa's voice.
'Don't die on me now, ok?'
This was Irvine's.
'Hope you know how she loves you…'
Seifer's.
Squall was totally helpless.
'What is this place? Why am I here?'
'Find in your will the strength to wake up, Squall.'
That nightmare's voice again. Squall was sure he knew it.
'Why are you always after me?'
'I…can't tell you…'
'What did you say? My will?'
'Remember the snowfield?'
Of course Squall remembered. The cold and deadly wind piercing his clothes like a thousand needles and slowly but surely paralyzing his body like poisonous needles.
'You have great friends. They risked their life for you. Will you thank them in endangering them?'
'No…They won't die because of me, never!'
'Say it again, feel it, believe it.'
'NEVER!!'
In the infirmary, Squall opened his eyes wide.
When the infirmary coming from duo entered the cafeteria, they looked around for their friends.
"Seifer! Rinoa! Over here!" Zell got up from his seat waving to them.
He sat back when the others joined in. Quistis had her hands together on the table as she looked at Rinoa with hopeful face.
"Something new?"
Rinoa's face answered her question.
"Darn!" Zell complained. "I'm getting rusty not training for so long!!"
He clenched his gloved fist.
"You know, Zell," Seifer proposed, "If you need training…"
Zell lifted his hand.
"It was just a figure of speech."
Selphie looked concern just like Irvine.
"It's about time he wakes up, huh? I can't stand it!"
"Me neither!" Zell added.
Seifer got up with Rinoa to get her something to eat. Before leaving the table, he frowned at the rest of them. Zell shrugged.
"What?" he asked the others.
"Didn't you see Rinoa's face? She cried all the night again," Quistis said. "Seifer finally got her out of there to make her think about something else and you all take her back in that subject."
Zell lifted both his hands.
"Hey! Not my fault!"
"I didn't name anybody."
"At least she now knows how Squall felt when she was in a coma ago," Irvine said.
"I don't think she thinks about that right now," Quistis answered.
Rinoa came back, each one carrying a tray with cereal bowl and fruit plate with a glass of fruit juice. Rinoa's plate was full but the others were not sure she would be able to eat all that.
Eating slowly and silently at first, her appetite came back and she ate everything to her friends' relief.
"Ahh…that feels good…"
"See? I told you!" Seifer said.
Facing the entrance of the cafeteria, Quistis suddenly got up, making the others jump before looking at the entrance too. They all got up in the same time when they saw Dr Kadowaki entering in a hurry. Rinoa instinctively clenched her rings as she saw Kadowaki's expression: she was looking astonished and scared.
The gang ran to her.
"Guys!" she said catching her breath.
Because she was a main character in Garden, Raijin and Fujin, replacing Seifer, didn't stop her for running.
"What's wrong?" Quistis urged her.
"A good new, and a bad… The good: Squall woke up…"
Everyone except Rinoa jumped up from joy and relief.
"The bad?" Rinoa asked in a low tone.
The others stopped jumping to listen.
"He's…he's gone!!"
Wondering how he could be so lucky that nobody stopped him, Squall staggered to the entrance, leaning on every wall, box, or anything strong enough to hold him on his way.
How come he woke up? He wasn't sure… How the hell could he stand up and even walk?! He didn't have a clue. The only thing he knew was that he had to get the hell out of that place!!
He finally made it to the entrance, thanking God he grew up there so that his not clear sight didn't stop him.
His sight was still good enough to see Galbadian soldiers aiming at him at the very edge of the courtyard.
Once he was far enough from the entrance, he spread his arms each side of him and dropped on his knees.
"Come on!" he defied. "Shoot me!! You won't get my friends! Rinoa even less!!"
He closed his eyes when he heard they were about to obey.
Just walking at the entrance looking for Squall, Rinoa and Seifer heard him shout. They looked outside and saw what was about to happen.
"No!!" Rinoa yelled running to the place.
"Squall!" Seifer called running after her.
Squall didn't hear anything; he expected the gunfire. Then it started.
'Let's get this over with…' he thought.
Until he opened his eyes from instinct to see Rinoa and Seifer shielding him from the deadly bullets with their own bodies, being shot instead of him. His eyes widened up in horror when the gunfire finally stopped, causing them to fall on the ground just in front of him.
"NO!!!!" Squall yelled.
Seeing they missed their target, the soldiers prepared for another attack.
"You darn Galbadian shit!!" Irvine arrived aiming at some.
He shot a few but a lot more fell. Behind the Galbadians, other soldiers were shooting them, commanded by a short blue-coated man, carrying a powerful gun and using it very well. Seeing he wasn't needed very much, Irvine went to Squall and the wounded friends, covered by their mixing blood. Still feeling weak and not sure of himself, Squall didn't know which of his friends to help. Seifer looked in more bad shape, his grey coat full of bullet holes from which blood was coming out jerkily.
"No…" Seifer protested lifting a blood covered gloved hand. "Rinoa…she waited so long for your awakening…"
Squall nodded and switched to his beloved, lifting her head.
"You…okay…" she said.
"You…" Squall started. "You broke your promise: never interfere with my fights…"
"And so did you… you made me scared…we're even…"
Squall smiled, willing to stop the bleeding but not knowing where to put his hands.
Irvine approached.
"Wha…" he mumbled.
Squall looked at him.
"Go get some help, hurry!"
Irvine suddenly came back from wherever he was.
"Uh…right!"
He ran back to Garden while Squall got his glance back on Rinoa.
"You'll be find," he said.
"Of course…can't leave you…now…"
She gave her boyfriend a weak smile.
"Seifer got…almost…all gun…fire…" she said. "Tried…to protect me…too…"
"Seifer!"
Holding Rinoa's hand, Squall turned to Seifer.
"Don't worry," Seifer reassured. "I'll hold…on."
He coughed and vomited blood, trying to stop it with a hand, the other apparently out of order.
"Say…" he started after stopping coughing. "Once it's over, you'll…train with…me? Not…fight…real training…like with Zell…"
Squall nodded.
"But you have to get better!"
"WE…do…you're not in…good shape either…"
Squall smiled and took Seifer's lifted hand.
"I bet…I'll be better…before you do…"
Then he started laughing, followed by both Squall and Rinoa. Seifer stopped laughing when he started coughing again, clenching Squall's hand, worrying him.
"Seifer! Hey, Seifer!"
Seifer took a deep breath and stopped coughing.
"Scared you…didn't I?"
Irvine finally came back in a hurry, followed by Dr Kadowaki and some SeeDs. They gently took Seifer and Rinoa, forcing Squall to let go their hands.
He got up, a hand held out their way.
"I'm coming along!"
After a single step, he suddenly felt dizzy and his legs gave way beneath him. Irvine caught his arm and held it around his neck.
"You should rest yourself."
Squall closed his eyes, putting his free hand on his face.
"They need me…"
"What they need now is being treated, knowing you'll be there once they'll be better."
The two SeeDs headed back to Garden. Irvine was more carrying Squall than helping him to walk.
"It's the second time you're carrying me, Irvine."
"The third."
"Huh?"
"Who do you think carried you back to the car on the snowfield?"
Squall smiled thankfully to him.
Just before they entered the Garden, Squall saw a shoulder length black haired figure wearing a short blue coat and carrying what looked like a machine gun at the edge of the courtyard. The figure was looking his way. The SeeD was feeling too weak and tired to try figure out who it might be.
Irvine took him to his dorm. Once there, Squall was already asleep so he had to put him in bed himself. His job done, he sighed shaking his head with his fists on his hips, looking at his friend.
"What would you do without me?" he asked leaving the room.
On the courtyard, somebody was smiling.
"Well…I thought it would have been harder! My leg didn't even…arrgh!!"
He clenched his leg.
"I take back my words!!"
He staggered away, holding his leg.
"I'm getting too old for that kinda thing…"